Saturday, July 16, 2011

I can happily say that it has been life-shifting. There is something about either Japan or the very idea of traveling that offers this value of an education outside the classroom.

I am more thankful and grateful now than I have ever been.
I love my family and I love my lady.
I am happy for growth.
I am happy that there's still room for it.
I am thankful to do something I've always wanted to do.
I am grateful for clarity.

There is a deep sense of culture that is undoubtedly contagious. Being raised as a Filipino in a military family in America, a diverse society was normal. In Germany, I lived on a military base. In North Carolina, we were that one Asian family on Hazelhurst Dr. But here, in Japan, they are one. Every one has been brought up by the same basic principles and they all believe in it and respect it. From the way they count their money to the way they speak on the phone, it is known and lived by.

I have seen things here that amaze me: the peace of sleeping on a train full of strangers, how they offer blankets before you step into the movie theater, how they do not work for tips, but still have superior customer service, how they preserve their country consciously and with pride. It has been so amazing that now amazing is normal, and I often forget that I am in Japan.

I have learned the meaning of communication and awareness. I am thankful for that because it provides clarity. It has painted a picture of what is important in my life.

I have learned that language is much more than words. Things that you can do with a smile, hard work, a positive attitude, and passion has a universal language.

I am starting and want to fully believe that I am the creator of my Universe. My thoughts become things.

I have learned that growing up in an English-speaking country has been a gift and not something that "just is". English is one of, if not the greatest gift in language that an American can have. There is a world out there that wants to meet you simply because you speak English.

Life is much more than your facebook status.

I love pictures.

I love music. I love music that creates my mood. I love that it impacts me so deeply that when I listen to it, it will remember a time in the past, define the present, or lead me to the feeling of the future.

I am grateful that Japan is more than just an experience. Domo arrigatou gozaimasu.

And for fun, I leave you with this. They killed this. Big Ups to SGBM.